Albee Layer wins first Red Bull Unleashed at Surf Snowdonia

The first competition to be held at Surf Snowdonia, the 2015 Red Bull Unleashed has been won by the Hawaiian Albee Layer and the event has been branded a complete success. In the first of its kind, the Red Bull Unleashed pitted the competitors against each other in a man on man heat, with the surfers trading five waves each with the first surfer to win three waves progressing.

The competition was witnessed by a crowd of over 2000, including the South African Pro Jordy Smith, who flocked to the tiny village of Dolgarrog in North Wales to witness history in the making. The spectators were given access to the central pier in the middle of the lagoon and were able to witness the action from just metres away as the surfers battled it out accompanied by their own favourite tunes, belting out across the lake.

Unfortunately for the local fans, it was the travelling surfers who dominated the competition with the only British surfer to progress to the quarterfinals being Jayce Robinson. The semi finals saw Billy Stairmand up against Jack Freestone and Albee Layer battling with Mitch Crews, with Layer and Stairmand progressing through to the final, with Albee eventually wining 3-1.

There were some who felt the idea of a wavepool competition would be lacking excitement, but as the embedded highlight video below shows, the surfing was of the highest calibre and with everyone competing on a level playing field, it can only be the surfer who rides the best who will eventually win through. There is already talk of the Red Bull Unleashed returning for 2016, so let us know if you feel wavepool competition is here to stay and who else would you like to see invited to the Unleashed?